Kaua'i Marathon F20-24: Harding Claims the Age Group in Kauai's Heat

• Maiya Florence Harding won the F20-24 age group in 4:31:30 (10:21/mi), finishing more than 12 minutes clear of runner-up Isabel Valaika.
• Valaika was the strongest closer in the group, posting the 29th-fastest women's split on the 22.25–24.15 Mile stretch — a late surge that helped her hold off a tight battle for 2nd.
• Easha Nandyala and Leila Mackenzie were separated by just 6 seconds at the finish (4:48:37 vs. 4:48:43), with Nandyala claiming 3rd.
• The F20-24 field spanned over 1 hour 45 minutes from first to last finisher, reflecting the full challenge of 77°F humidity-laden conditions on Kauai.

Harding, 22, from Honolulu, controlled the age group from the front but her race wasn't without drama. She moved up to 18th among women at the halfway point, then gradually slipped back to 27th by the finish — a sign the back half of this course extracted its toll. Still, her 10:21/mi average was a full 28 seconds per mile faster than anyone else in the F20-24 field, and no one came close to threatening her lead.

The real story behind the podium was how differently the top four got there. Valaika (4:43:30) ran one of the most composed races in the group, climbing steadily from 60th among women at the early checkpoint all the way to 34th by the finish — a relentless forward march across 26.2 miles. Her 29th-fastest women's split on the late-race 22.25–24.15 Mile segment showed she had something left when others were fading.

Nandyala and Mackenzie, both making the trip from California, ran nearly identical races — separated by just six seconds after more than four and a half hours of racing. Nandyala held 3rd by that sliver, while Mackenzie's 11:01/mi average left her just one tick behind. Keana Kuzma, racing on home ground from Koloa, rounded out the top five in 5:06:24. Behind her, the field stretched out across the humid afternoon, with Salena Salameh completing the ten-woman group in 6:17:20.